Method for producing a connection of data transmission lines, and plug connector

ABSTRACT

The method and the plug connector are employed in the transmission of data at high frequencies to reduce propagation delay differences in data transmission lines, where a data transmission line is connected to a plug connector having a conductive structure located between a conductor connection contact and an associated plug transfer contact, where during production, the propagation delay difference between the signals on the two conductors is measured and compensated for by removing conductor sections from the conductive structure for which the shorter propagation delay is measured in order to extend the length of the signal path.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method for producing a connection of datatransmission lines and to a plug connector, in particular for use insuch a method.

2. Summary of the Prior Art

Fluctuations in the production methods mean that two conductors in aline are never completely identical. When such lines are used for datatransmission in the microwave range, these fluctuations lead toso-called propagation delays between the signals on individualconductors of a line. The higher the frequency and the higher the datarate, the greater is the risk of interference due to erroneous datatransmission.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,244 specifies an arrangement and a method forpreventing interference due to crosstalk. For this purpose, individualconductor tracks are interrupted within a multi-pole electrical plugconnector and the interrupted connections are rearranged in a secondposition, which is arranged above the first conductor tracks. Capacitiveand inductive coupling are achieved by superposition and by parallelrouting of specific conductor pairs.

Taking this prior art as a departure point, the object of the inventionis to specify a connection method for data transmission lines and a plugconnector, in particular for carrying out this method, with whichpropagation delay differences can be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As regards the method, this object is achieved by means of a methodhaving the features of Patent claim 1. Preferred developments emergefrom subclaims 2 and 3.

It is advantageous that the propagation delay difference between twoconductors can be reduced in small steps. This is achieved by virtue ofthe fact that during the method of producing a connection of plugconnector and data transmission line, the propagation delay differencebetween the conductors is measured and it is possible to remove or severindividual conductor sections from the conductive structure in the plugconnector, which leads to an altered propagation delay in the plugconnector.

As regards the arrangement, the object is achieved by means of anarrangement having the features of Patent claim 4. Preferreddevelopments emerge from Subclaims 5 to 10.

It is advantageous that the plug connector can be used together withdifferent data transmission lines having various propagation delayerrors. This is achieved by virtue of the fact that each conductor inthe plug connector is connected to a plug transfer contact, by means ofan essentially identical conductive structure, comprising identicalconductor sections. This conductive structure can then be processed insuch a way that it is possible to compensate for various propagationdelay differences.

It is furthermore advantageous that the plug connector is simple toproduce. This is achieved by virtue of the fact that both the conductorconnection contacts and the plug transfer contacts as well as theconductive structure can be produced from a single stamping. This isalso achieved by virtue of the fact that the conductive structure isarranged on a printed circuit board or is produced from a metallizedplastic substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a plug connector which is cutopen in the longitudinal axis parallel to the plane of the conductivestructures, before the data transmission line has been connected to theplug connector and before the propagation delay difference betweenconductors has been compensated for; and

FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of the same plug connector afterthe data transmission line has been connected to the plug connector andafter the propagation delay difference between the conductors has beencompensated for.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The plug connector 1 comprises a housing 2 with a conductor connectionside 3 and a plug transfer side 5. The housing 2 comprises a cover part7 and a base part 9 matching the latter. On the conductor connectionside 3, the housing 2 has two conductor connection contacts 4, 4', whichare designed as an insulation piercing terminal connection. On the plugtransfer side 5, the housing 2 has two plug transfer contacts 8, 8',which are designed as blade pins. The blade pins are angled at one endin such a way that the plug transfer contacts 8, 8' can be introduced ina clamping manner into metallized holes in a printed circuit board. Theconductor connection contacts 4, 4' are respectively connected by meansof a conductive structure 6, 26 to the plug transfer contacts 8, 8'. Theconductive structure 6, 26 comprises a plurality of individual conductorsections 10, which are multiply connected to one another at crossoverpoints 12. The conductive structure 6, 26 may also have an essentiallythree-dimensional structure.

In FIG. 1, the conductive structures 6, 26 are designed identically forboth conductors 22, 24. Each conductive structure 6, 26 comprises twolongitudinal conductor sections 16 which have the same length andrepresent an electrical current path of identical length for theconnection of the conductor connection contact 4, 4' to the plugtransfer contact 8, 8'. The longitudinal conductor sections 16 areconnected at a plurality of crossover points 12 by means of a pluralityof transverse conductor sections 18. The length of the path covered bythe electrical current is identical for both conductive structures 6, 26within the plug connector 2. FIG. 1 illustrates the state of the plugconnector 1 before a data transmission line 20 has been connected.

FIG. 2 illustrates the state after the data transmission line 20 hasbeen connected and after the propagation delay difference between thetwo conductors 22, 24 has been measured and, as far as possible,compensated for. The data transmission line 20 comprises two conductors22, 24. At least one end 30 of the data transmission line 20 isconnected to a plug connector 1. The data transmission line 20 and thehousing 2 are electromagnetically screened. At the end 30, theelectromagnetic screens of the data transmission line 20 and the housing2 are connected to one another.

In FIG. 2, various conductor sections have been removed from one of theconductive structures 6, 26. Whereas the first conductive structure 6for the first conductor 22 is still identical to the conductivestructures of FIG. 1, the second conductive structure 26 for the secondconductor 24 has an altered conductor track 14.

Since individual conductor sections 10 have been removed from thelongitudinal conductor section 16 in the case of the conductivestructure 26 on the side of the second conductor 24, the secondconductive structure 26 on the side of the conductor 24 represents alonger path for the electrical current than the first conductivestructure 6 on the side of the first conductor 22.

The method for producing a connection of data transmission linescomprises the following method steps:

In a preparation step, a data transmission line 20 is connected to theplug connector 1. For this purpose, the conductors 22, 24 are fixed tothe conductor connection contacts 4, 4' by means of insulation piercingterminal technology.

In the next step, the propagation delay difference between signals onthe first conductor 22 and on the second conductor 24 is measured.Since, prior to the measurement, the plug connector 1 has the sameconductive structure 6, 26, the same conductor connection contacts 4, 4'and the same plug transfer contacts 8, 8' for both conductors 22, 24, itis possible to measure the propagation delay difference of the datatransmission line by way of the combination of the line 20 and the plugconnector 1. In this way, any further propagation delay differenceswhich may arise within the plug connector 1 are also taken into accountin the propagation delay measurement.

In the next step, an individual conductor section 10 is removed from alongitudinal conductor section 16 in the case of the conductor 24, forwhich a shorter propagation delay has been measured than for the otherconductor 22. As a result, the path on this conductor and hence thepropagation delay are lengthened.

The propagation delay difference between the first conductor 22 and thesecond conductor 24 is then measured once again.

In the next step, firstly an individual conductor section 10 is onceagain removed from a longitudinal conductor section 16 between twocrossover points 12, to be precise also on the side of the conductor 24for which the shorter propagation delay was measured in the precedingstep.

The propagation delay difference between the first conductor 22 and thesecond conductor 24 is then once again measured, as described above. Theresult of this second propagation delay measurement will be smaller thanthe result of the first propagation delay measurement.

The difference between the first and the second measurement is to beattributed to the conductor section 10 just removed. On that side of theconductor 22, 24 where the current path is lengthened by the removal ofconductor sections 10, the propagation delay becomes longer and thedifference between the propagation delay of the first conductor 22 andthe propagation delay of the second conductor 24 becomes smaller. Themethod steps of measurement and removal can be repeated several times insuccession. After each removal of a further conductor section 10, asmaller propagation delay difference is measured. When the propagationdelay difference measured in this way is smaller than half of thedecrease between two successive measurements, further removal of aconductor section 10 will no longer result in an improvement in thepropagation delay difference.

The combination of data transmission line 20 and plug connector 1 is nowoptimally matched with regard to the propagation delay differencebetween the individual conductors 22, 24.

The conductor sections 10 are removed by being broken out, by milling,by etching or by means of laser beam processing.

Should the optimum be missed, because one conductor section 10 too manyhas been removed on one side, then it is likewise possible to remove anindividual conductor section 10 from the still intact conductivestructure 6 on the opposite side.

The measurement necessitates a very accurate apparatus which simulatesdata transmission at a very high data rate.

The cover part 7 and the base part 9, which matches the latter, of thehousing 2 are connected to one another in a clamping manner by means ofa push-button mechanism (not shown here).

When the two housing parts are joined together, the electromagneticscreening of the housing 2 is also achieved.

We claim:
 1. A connector, for data transmission lines having at leasttwo conductors; comprising: a housing having at least two conductorconnection contacts connected to corresponding plug transfer contacts bycorresponding conductive structures, characterized in that at least oneconductive structure has individual conductor sections connected to oneanother at crossover points, and that it is possible to producedifferent conductor tracks having different lengths by severing orremoving various conductor sections of the conductive structure.
 2. Theconnector according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductivestructure comprises at least two longitudinal conductor sections whichare arranged parallel and are connected to the conductor connectioncontacts and plug transfer contacts, have the same length and areconnected to each other by means of further transverse conductorsections.
 3. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in thatthe conductor connection contacts are designed as an insulation piercingterminal connection.
 4. The connector according to claim 2,characterized in that the plug transfer contacts are designed as bladepins.
 5. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that thetransfer contacts are of angled design to be introduced in a clampingmanner into metallized holes in a printed circuit board.
 6. Theconnector according to claim 2, characterized in that the conductivestructure is designed as a stamping.
 7. The connector according to claim2, characterized in that the conductive structure is built up on aprinted circuit board.
 8. The connector according to claim 2,characterized in that the conductive structure is contructed as aplastic structure coated with metal.